Peugeot QUARTZ
Back in January 2014, Peugeot re-invented itself. New ownership structures led to new management and a widening of the French brand’s horizons. At the recent Paris Motor Show there were plenty of indications that the revitalized company expects to enter new market segments soon. The unveiling of the Quartz large SUV concept wasn’t the only hint given of an expanded range of Peugeot SUVs in
the near future. Peugeot’s head of product development, Xavier Peugeot, confirmed to NZ Autocar that something big is about to be added to the Peugeot portfolio just 30 minutes before the unveiling of the Quartz.
‘We want the widest range of SUVs that we can provide. If you look at what we have and you see that there’s a 2008 and a 3008, then it’s obvious what our next move will be.’But don’t just expect a conventional medium-large SUV from the French company. The production version of the Quartz is likely to be inspired by the company’s endeavours in next year’s Dakar rally, and will have a sporty
dynamic to match.
‘Our customers expect sportiness, but want it delivered in an upmarket way.’Monsieur Peugeot also confirmed that his company has already developed a 500bhp engine and is working on the development of an eight-speed automatic gearbox. These may power both a sports SUV and a supersports car in the future.
Peugeot’s head of design, Gilles Vidal, said that although SUV sales are strong, it is now time for a new approach to the genre. ‘The Quartz is an experiment. The form language that it is proposing is “more efficiency”. You can see immediately that it is a new style of SUV.’ When asked if cars like the BMW X6 and X4 were an influence on the design of the Quartz, he refuted the association.
‘We definitely didn’t look for that. We didn’t want to just place a sporty roofline on top of an SUV.’Vidal said a bigger influence was the RCZ sports-coupe.‘We used similar tricks on the Quartz. The rear is truly dynamic. We did this by adopting the ‘double-bubble’ roof of the RCZ.’ The CEO of brand Peugeot, Maxime Picat, said that future models focused at the upper end of the range are likely to be stand-alone ventures.
‘We’re currently starting a new cooperation (with Toyota on a new 108) and closing one down, but these are in our LCV and small car sectors. We’ll continue to look for opportunities to decrease our R&D costs but at the end of the day, we don’t want to compromise our DNAur upmarket products have to be ‘real’ Peugeots.’
Besides the new range of 308 models and the upgraded 508 range (see feature page 44), Peugeot also unveiled the GT version of the 308 and a special 30th Anniversary edition of the 208 GTi to celebrate the launch of the 205 GTi at the 1984 Paris Motor Show.
The 208 GTi developed by Peugeot Sport features exhaust and engine management tuning that fattens the power and torque peaks to 155kW (208bhp) and 300Nm, respectively. A limited slip front diff then helps put that power down. Comprehensive suspension changes include 25 per cent firmer springs, stiffer stabiliser bars, and new front end geometry that adds a dramatic increase in negative camber.
Peugeot Sport director, Bruno Firma, said the aim was to make the 30th Anniversary model one second faster than the stock version over every kilometre of the company’s test track. Both the new go-fast models were displayed in a two-tone bright red/matt black livery called Coupe Fraiche at the show. However New Zealand versions will look more conservative as Peugeot distributor, Sime Darby NZ, has decided not take up the option due to cost. The special paint evidently takes 17 hours to apply. Prices of the new GTs will be announced closer to their arrival in our market.
QUARTZ
The sporty SUV concept rides on 23 inch wheels which are driven by a 500-horse hybrid powertrain. It consists of a 1.6-litre turbopetrol delivering 199kW and 330Nm of torque coupled to an 85kW electric motor with a 400V battery pack. Out back, a separate 85kW electric motor drives the rears. It has an EV range of 50km, and two hybrid modes Road uses the ICE and the front motor while in Race mode the rear electrics also come online. There’s a limited slip differential up front and air suspension features which can improve the wind drag by reducing the ride height or raising it to improve ground clearance.
the near future. Peugeot’s head of product development, Xavier Peugeot, confirmed to NZ Autocar that something big is about to be added to the Peugeot portfolio just 30 minutes before the unveiling of the Quartz.
‘We want the widest range of SUVs that we can provide. If you look at what we have and you see that there’s a 2008 and a 3008, then it’s obvious what our next move will be.’But don’t just expect a conventional medium-large SUV from the French company. The production version of the Quartz is likely to be inspired by the company’s endeavours in next year’s Dakar rally, and will have a sporty
dynamic to match.
‘Our customers expect sportiness, but want it delivered in an upmarket way.’Monsieur Peugeot also confirmed that his company has already developed a 500bhp engine and is working on the development of an eight-speed automatic gearbox. These may power both a sports SUV and a supersports car in the future.
Peugeot’s head of design, Gilles Vidal, said that although SUV sales are strong, it is now time for a new approach to the genre. ‘The Quartz is an experiment. The form language that it is proposing is “more efficiency”. You can see immediately that it is a new style of SUV.’ When asked if cars like the BMW X6 and X4 were an influence on the design of the Quartz, he refuted the association.
‘We definitely didn’t look for that. We didn’t want to just place a sporty roofline on top of an SUV.’Vidal said a bigger influence was the RCZ sports-coupe.‘We used similar tricks on the Quartz. The rear is truly dynamic. We did this by adopting the ‘double-bubble’ roof of the RCZ.’ The CEO of brand Peugeot, Maxime Picat, said that future models focused at the upper end of the range are likely to be stand-alone ventures.
‘We’re currently starting a new cooperation (with Toyota on a new 108) and closing one down, but these are in our LCV and small car sectors. We’ll continue to look for opportunities to decrease our R&D costs but at the end of the day, we don’t want to compromise our DNAur upmarket products have to be ‘real’ Peugeots.’
Besides the new range of 308 models and the upgraded 508 range (see feature page 44), Peugeot also unveiled the GT version of the 308 and a special 30th Anniversary edition of the 208 GTi to celebrate the launch of the 205 GTi at the 1984 Paris Motor Show.
The 208 GTi developed by Peugeot Sport features exhaust and engine management tuning that fattens the power and torque peaks to 155kW (208bhp) and 300Nm, respectively. A limited slip front diff then helps put that power down. Comprehensive suspension changes include 25 per cent firmer springs, stiffer stabiliser bars, and new front end geometry that adds a dramatic increase in negative camber.
Peugeot Sport director, Bruno Firma, said the aim was to make the 30th Anniversary model one second faster than the stock version over every kilometre of the company’s test track. Both the new go-fast models were displayed in a two-tone bright red/matt black livery called Coupe Fraiche at the show. However New Zealand versions will look more conservative as Peugeot distributor, Sime Darby NZ, has decided not take up the option due to cost. The special paint evidently takes 17 hours to apply. Prices of the new GTs will be announced closer to their arrival in our market.
QUARTZ
The sporty SUV concept rides on 23 inch wheels which are driven by a 500-horse hybrid powertrain. It consists of a 1.6-litre turbopetrol delivering 199kW and 330Nm of torque coupled to an 85kW electric motor with a 400V battery pack. Out back, a separate 85kW electric motor drives the rears. It has an EV range of 50km, and two hybrid modes Road uses the ICE and the front motor while in Race mode the rear electrics also come online. There’s a limited slip differential up front and air suspension features which can improve the wind drag by reducing the ride height or raising it to improve ground clearance.
Peugeot QUARTZ
Reviewed by Unknown
on
8:47 AM
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
8:47 AM
Rating:
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